Tokyo meet starts to raise mega funds for Kabul

TOKYO (PAN): The Tokyo conference kicked off in Japan on Sunday with international donors trying to raising billion of dollars as civilian aid to sustain Afghanistan slow-paced economy.

Top officials from some 70 countries are gathering in Tokyo to chalk out development budget for Afghanistan, which is likely to face critical financial crunch after NATO forces leave in 2014.United Nations secretary-general f Ban Ki-moon urged international community to continue their financial support to prevent Afghanistan plunge into another crisis and to sustain the decade-old achievements made in the country. "Failure to invest in governance, justice, human rights, employment and social development could negate investment and sacrifices made over the last decade," he told a galaxy of international participants.President Hamid Karzai, who is leading a high-level delegation, had earlier said Afghanistan needs close to $4 billion a year to sustain its fragile economy once foreign troops leave the country.vp